The Benefits of Staying Active

Staying active is hard, especially as an older adult. We look into some healthy activities to do at home and the benefits of staying active in your later years.

Health problems and joint issues can take their toll, and reduce your capacity for vigorous physical activity, which is a big problem – especially when you consider that less than 21% of Americans of all ages meet the 2008 physical activity guidelines, as set forth by the CDC.

As we continue to age, the likelihood of physical inactivity continues to rise.

Maintaining a healthy body and mind

The old adage of “Use it, or lose it” is never so true as it is when applied to your physical wellness.

Maintaining a good level of physical activity is key to preventing a host of poor health outcomes, and has healthy, positive effects on the brain that can boost mood and help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Let’s take a deeper look at the benefits of staying active & the effects of physical activity on the body and mind, and go over some simple recommendations about how to meet recommended physical activity guidelines.

We’ll end with a look at some helpful YouTube fitness workouts that can help you stay active – even if you’re stuck at home.

How Does Physical Activity Improve Health?

In just about every way possible. After all, human beings were built to move, be active, and do things – not just sit around watching TV, or putter around the house.

As far as simple physical well being, increased activity levels can help reduce the risk of a tremendous amount of diseases that typically affect the elderly, including:

High blood pressure

Type 2 diabetes

Colon cancer

Breast cancer

Stroke

Heart disease and heart failure

Other positive benefits of physical activity

Extended physical activity andliving a healthy lifestylecan also have a host of positive benefits for both body and mind, including:

As you can see, the positive benefits of exercise and physical activity are staggering – in fact, physical activity is the #1 way in which people of all ages can increase their lifespan.

Even leisure-time, low-intensity exercise has been shown to extend lifespans by an average of 4.5 years!

How Much Time Should I Spend Exercising?

Great question. The WHO (World Health Organization) suggests at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity – or a combination of both.

However, additional health benefits are gained by performing more aerobic activity.

Low Intensity Exercises

Moderate intensity exercises

A moderate-intensity exercise is any exercise in which you feel as if you’re working hard and breaking a sweat, but are still able to maintain a conversation – but not sing!

Vigorous-intensity exercises

Running or jogging

Competitive swimming

Playing tennis

Jumping rope

Hiking uphill, or with a heavy load

Climbing

Vigorous exercise is defined by a heavier exertion

A 7-8 on an intensity scale of 10 – and an inability to say more than a few word at once, as you’ll be breathing very heavily.

Three Great At-Home Workouts To Get You Moving

If you’re still at a loss as to where to begin, we’ve got just the thing.

These three videos will give you example workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home, even if you have some joint problems and have difficulty performing high-intensity physical activities like running….